Garcinia minutiflora Ridl.

2. Garcinia minutiflora Ridl. View in CoL , J. Straits Branch Roy. Asiat. Soc. 82: 169. 1920

Fig. 6 View Figure 6 .

Garcinia minutiflora Ridl., J. Straits Branch Roy. Asiat. Soc. 82: 169. 1920; Fl. Malay Penins. 1: 176. 1922; Craib, Fl. Siam. 1 (1): 117. 1925; S. C. Chin, Limestone Fl. Malaya, M. Sc. Thesis, Univ. Malaya: 287. 1973; Kochummen & Whitmore, Gard. Bull. Singapore 26 (2): 272. 1973; Whitmore in Whitmore, Tree Fl. Malaya 2: 216. 1973; I. M. Turner, Gard. Bull. Singapore 47 (1): 262. 1995; Ngerns. et al., Thai Forest Bull., Bot. 52 (2): 73. figs. 1, 2, and 3. 2024. View in CoL

Type.

Lectotype [designated by Ngernsaengsaruay et al. (2024 b)], • Peninsular Malaysia, Langkawi Island, Goa Cherita (original publication “Goa Chinta”), ♂ fl., Mar 1892, C. Curtis 2802, K digital image! [ K 000677659 ]; isolectotypes: SING! [ SING 0063116 , SING 0063117 ].

Description.

Habit trees, 3–8 (– 15) m tall, 20–40 (– 60) cm GBH; exudate yellow, sticky; branchlets 4 - angular, glabrous. Bark dark greyish brown to dark brown, smooth, rough, or scaly. Leaves obovate or elliptic, 3.8–6 × 1.7–3.7 cm, apex obtuse or retuse, base cuneate or obtuse, margin entire and finely revolute, coriaceous, dark green above, paler below, glabrous on both surfaces, midrib slightly raised above, raised below, secondary veins 5–9 on each side, curving towards the margin and connected in distinct loops and united into an intramarginal vein, conspicuous on both surfaces, with intersecondary veins, veinlets reticulate, conspicuous on both surfaces, with many scattered black gland dots below, interrupted long wavy lines present, of differing lengths, nearly parallel to the midrib, running across the secondary veins to the apex or the margin, visible below; petiole 0.3–1 cm long, 1–2 mm diam., grooved above, glabrous, with a small basal appendage clasping the branchlet; fresh leaves brittle when crushed; young leaves pale green and petiole red or reddish green; dry leaves brown or brownish green. Inflorescences axillary or on branchlets at leafless nodes (in axils of fallen leaves), in short thyrses of 5–12 flowers, 2–3 - flowered cymes, or solitary. Flowers unisexual; bracteoles 4, decussate; sepals and petals decussate, glabrous. Flower buds pale green, subglobose or globose, c. 2 mm diam. Male flowers in a short thyrse, 0.8–2 cm long, 5–12 flowers, small, 1.8–2 mm diam.; bracteoles semi-orbicular, 0.7–1.1 × 0.9–1 mm, apex obtuse; pedicel pale green, 1.4–1.5 mm long, 1.7–1.8 mm diam., glabrous; sepals 4, pale green, concave, the outer pair slightly larger than the inner pair, the outer pair suborbicular or broadly ovate, 1.6–2 × 1.6–2 mm, apex obtuse, the inner pair ovate or suborbicular, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, apex obtuse; petals 4, creamish white or pale yellow, obovate, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.1 mm, subequal, apex obtuse or rounded, slightly smaller than the sepals; stamens numerous, filaments completely united into 4 bundles, each bundle 0.4–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm; anthers globose or subglobose, 0.1–0.2 × c. 0.1 mm; pistillode mushroom-shaped, 0.5–0.7 mm long; sterile stigma sessile, slightly convex, c. 0.3 mm diam., weakly 4–5 - lobed, papillate. Female flowers not seen. Fruits berries, subglobose, globose, or broadly ellipsoid, 1.4–1.7 × 1.3–1.5 cm, green, smooth with fine longitudinal striate, glabrous, pericarp coriaceous, c. 0.6 mm thick, cut fruits with a sticky yellow exudate, with small persistent sepals; persistent stigma blackish brown or dark brown, convex, 2–3 mm diam., weakly 4–5 - lobed, papillate; fruiting stalk 2–3 mm long, 1.5–3 mm diam. Seeds 1–2, black when dry, depressed subglobose, c. 1.1 × 1.2 cm, c. 7.8 mm thick, with a thin fleshy pulp.

Distribution.

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia [Perlis, Kedah (Langkawi Island), Penang, Kelantan].

Distribution in Thailand.

Peninsular: Phangnga, Krabi.

Habitat and ecology.

This species is found in littoral dry evergreen forest on limestone hills and dry evergreen forest on limestone hills, at altitudes reaching up to 250 m a. m. s. l.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting more than once a year, from August to March.

Conservation status.

Rare in Peninsular Malaysia ( Ridley 1922). In Thailand, the species is known only from three locations in Phangnga and Krabi Provinces but is expected in other limestone hills. Globally, this species is known from Peninsular Malaysia and Peninsular Thailand and has a small EOO of 6,774.65 km 2 and a relatively small AOO of 28 km 2 that lies within protected and non-protected areas. It is inferred to be experiencing a continuing decline in habitat area, extent, and quality. We therefore consider the conservation assessment as Vulnerable [VU B 1 a, b (iii), B 2 a, b (iii)].

Etymology.

The specific epithet of Garcinia minutiflora comes from the Latin compound words minutus, meaning very small or minute, and - flora, flos, meaning flower, referring to the very small flowers ( Stearn 1992; Radcliffe-Smith 1998; Gledhill 2002).

Vernacular name.

Nuan dok lek khao hin pun (นวลดอกเล ็ กเขาห ิ นป ู น) ( Ngernsaengsaruay et al. 2024 b).

Uses.

Not known.

Notes.

The morphological characters and data reported here for this species were mostly taken from Ngernsaengsaruay et al. (2024 b).

According to Chin (1973), the female flowers of Garcinia minutiflora are solitary or in 2 - flowered cymes, but we have not seen them.

Craib (1925) reported Garcinia minutiflora from the former Phuket (then consisting of present-day Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, and Satun Provinces). He cited only the type C. Curtis 2802 but did not mention any specimens from Thailand. Langkawi Island (Ko Langkawi) is an administrative district of Kedah located about 30 km off the coast of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia and a few kilometres south of Ko Tarutao (Tarutao Island), Satun Province, adjacent to the Thai border ( Ngernsaengsaruay et al. 2024 b).

According to previous studies, the male flowers of Garcinia minutiflora have numerous stamens in a central globose mass, without a pistillode ( Ridley 1920, 1922; Kochummen and Whitmore 1973; Whitmore 1973). However, from our examinations, we found the stamens are numerous, and the filaments are completely united in 4 bundles surrounding a pistillode. In the early stage of open flowers, the stamen bundles are pressed against the pistillode (not spreading) and then become spreading in the fully open flowers.

According to Ngernsaengsaruay et al. (2024 b), a preliminary conservation assessment of Garcinia minutiflora was considered as VU [B 1 B 2 a, b (ii, iv)]. Because it is a limestone species with a narrow geographic range and because of its small number of locations and small AOO, this species is evaluated as VU [B 1 a, b (iii), B 2 a, b (iii)] in contrast with Chua (2023) as LC.

Additional specimens examined.

Thailand. Peninsular: • Phangnga [ Khao Phing Kan (Ko Khao Phing Kan), Takua Thung District, fr., 8 Sep 1982 (as Garcinia sp. ), T. Shimizu et al. T- 29205 ( BKF)]; • Krabi [ Wat Tham Suea , Mueang Krabi District, fr., 18 Apr 2007 (as Garcinia sp. ), S. Gardner ST 2893 ( K) ; • ibid., sterile, 7 Mar 2022, C. Ngernsaengsaruay & W Boonthasak G 29-07032022 ( BKF) ; • ibid., fl., 7 Mar 2022, C. Ngernsaengsaruay & W. Boonthasak personal observation, with photos ; • Ko Hong, trail up to view point , Than Bok Khorani National Park, Mueang Krabi District (originally “ Koh Hong, Ao Luek District ” on the label), fr., 15 Mar 2021 [as Garcinia sp. ], N. Tetsana et al. 2087 ( BKF) ; • ibid., fl. buds, 15 Mar 2021 (as Garcinia sp. ), N. Tetsana et al. 2088 ( BKF)] .